


Blue Hair and If-You-Dare

by Magichris



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: ALL THE ANGST, AU, All the AU, All the Cute, M/M, Muggle AU, Youtube AU, chat and para, idk just go with it, switch off
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-05-24 08:23:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14951090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magichris/pseuds/Magichris
Summary: Muggle!AU. After a wrong number exchange, a blue-haired YouTube Musician learns that the boy on the other side of the line is a hell of a lot more than he seems. Grab your Manic Panic and strap in.





	1. Kismet

Teddy: Hi? Who is this? 

James: We met at that club on Hillcrest? This is Connor, right?  
James: Thanks for finally responding. I was getting a complex over here.

Teddy: Sorry. I dunno who Connor is.  
Teddy: I'm not the person you're looking for. 

James: Well, that's shit. 

Teddy: Sorry, dude. 

James: It's fine. Never been given a fake number before, though. Now I'm going to get a complex for that instead.  
James: My ego...it hurts. 

Teddy: Ah, that really sucks. Your poor ego.  
Teddy: Props to this 'Connor' bloke for managing to give you a private number. Effectively scared the crap out of me. 

James: Ooh, private number. Didn't know we had a VIP over here.  
James: That was sarcasm, by the way. I know it's hard to tell over text, but I'm fluent in it. Pretty sure 98% of what I say is sarcastic, so let's get that out of the way now.  
James: So. I'm bored as all hell, and I just got my pride beaten to a pulp, so seeing as your number was the one that hurt me so...I think it's your duty to appease me. Build my ego back up. 

Teddy: Oh, God. I'm absolutely not a VIP, that is some bullshit. I don't consider myself Important in any way, shape, or form.  
Teddy: I cannot possibly reconstruct your entire ego, I don't even know you. You could be eleven years old for all I know. You're probably not, but. 

James: Blimey, I was joking. That just sounded entirely depressing. I'm sure you're worth something.  
James: Yeah, I'm an eleven year old that frequents clubs. I can barely see over the bar but they're like "Aw, mate, it's okay. Here, have a pint."  
James: I'm 18 for the record.  
James: Pretty smart, but my laziness keeps me from making top marks. So, you win some, you lose some. Bloody brilliant at football though. 

Teddy: 18, fun. Quite the time to be alive, with all the... Uni. And sudden realisation that you now have to adult for yourself. Fun. 

James: Ahh, bugger, you just sounded like an old bloke.  
James: Dare I ask?  
James: Are you a 50 year old pedo?  
James: I'm all for older men, but there's a line. 

Teddy: Yes, that's me, the 50 year old pedo that you accidentally contacted.  
Teddy: No, I'm 23. 

James: Oi, you never know.  
James: I could have been connected to anyone.  
James: 23. And this cynical? You must be a hoot at parties. 

Teddy: It's the after effects of university and too much time online.  
Teddy: You'll have to rip my cynical tendencies from my cold, dead, adpocalypsed millenial hands. 

James: Mm, now we're getting somewhere.  
James: I like that spark.  
James: You seem less stale now. You always like that? Have to be yanked from your shell? James: I'm going to shrink you now.  
James: Lemme guess...an extrovert that hides in an introvert's clothing? 

Teddy: That 'spark' is actually called 'reality.' Fun, huh?  
Teddy: I am always like this, yes. Outgoing in certain circles, generally.  
Teddy: Major ambivert. 

James: Reality? Never heard of her.  
James: I like that, actually. Layered. Complicated. Mysterious. Be still my heart. 

Teddy: Okay, that's dramatic. I'm not layered, complicated or mysterious. Just a tad socially inept and bad with in-person interaction. 

James: I'm a very dramatic person. Theatrical, really. It's a pity I am shit at acting and can't memorize to save my life, or I could have made a damn good career out of performing.  
James: Socially inept is my kink.  
James: I mean it, though. You don't give yourself enough credit, mate. Besides, it's the digital age. Don't need to thrive on in-person interaction.  
James: So far, you're a better conversationalist than Connor was. He wasn’t much more than a pretty face with a brilliant arse. 

Teddy: "Socially inept is my kink" sounds like something that I'd have written on a t-shirt and it'd sell hundred of copies. Just saying.  
Teddy: Thank God for the digital age, honestly. All the important shit I have to say can be done online. Coming out in person? Don't know her.  
Teddy: Connor sounds painfully dull. What I lack in, uh, conventional attractiveness, I make up for in conversationalism (and vocab, apparently.) 

James: You need to give me a share of the profits, you thief.  
James: Sneaky way to push your sexual orientation in there. I have to say, I'm pleased.  
James: Conventional attractiveness, you say? Not a fan, actually. 

Teddy: Sigh, fine. I'll find another to pay my rent.  
Teddy: Thank you, thank you, I saw my opportunity and I took it.  
Teddy: To be fair, majority of the things that make me less 'conventionally attractive' were personal decisions. 

James: That sounds sneakily like what I find extremely attractive. This gets better by the minute.

Teddy: Is that so? Care to elaborate? 

James: Colour.  
James: That sounds odd on its own. Let me expand.  
James: Coloured tats. Especially sleeves. Fucking hell, yes.  
James: Coloured hair. The more unnatural the better.  
James: Ah, and tell me you have a lip ring and I'll literally jizz. Excuse the crass, but I'm not sorry. 

Teddy: Uh huh. Interesting, interesting.  
Teddy: Should I be apologising for my lack of tattoo sleeve? 

James: No, no, my new favorite ambivert, I won't hold it against you.  
James: Are you not denying the others? 

Teddy: I'm definitely not denying the others. 

James: Blimey.  
James: You own my heart, mate. 

Teddy: On your scale of unnatural hair colours, where does bright blue fall? 

James: I'm swooning. 

Teddy: That's cute.  
Teddy: How d'ya feel about septum rings? Industrial ear piercings?  
James: This is like porn to me.  
James: "Baby, let's talk body mods." 

Teddy: Oh, lovely. 

James: I can't tell if that's sarcasm, so you've got me there.  
James: I've bared my soul here.  
James: Give me something back.  
James: I'm now afraid I'd be disappointing to you. 

Teddy: I don't think I have any specific requirements? Like. If I'm attracted to someone then I'm attracted to them.  
Teddy: I don't know. There's certain stuff that's frequent with the people I'm into.  
Teddy: The messy hair thing.  
Teddy: Kind of broody but only vaguely? I don't know. 

James: Well, I have a few tats and gauges, but my parents were pretty anti. I plan on getting more, but it's all fairly tame for now.  
James: Ahh, I have chronically messy hair. It's pretty much bedhead or just-fucked hair 24/7. James: So, if that's your thing I'm here for it.  
James: Skinny as all hell, but also a lite tone from football. Strong ass legs, you can imagine. James: And glasses. My father gave me shit eyes. 

Teddy: Gauges. Nice. Into that.  
Teddy: Oh. My God. Insane hair + glasses. Why are you actually, like, suddenly the love of my life? 

James: Right back at you, handsome.  
James: Kismet, mate.  
James: I'm James. 

Teddy: Oh, you have a cool person name. Mine’s... the opposite of that.  
Teddy: Actually, my chosen name is better than my legal name, but still? I'm Teddy. 

James: James is a cool person name to you? You need to get out more.  
James: Hahaha, that's brilliant actually. Is the nickname because of Teddy Lupin? Matching hair, need matching names too?  
James: What's your given name then? That bland? Can't be more boring than James. 

Teddy: It’s just always been my nickname, I guess. 

James: That's funny. So is it Theodore? Edward?  
James: Both are equally embarrassing.  
James: You can admit it to me. What you lack in cool name you make up for in brilliant conversation and beauty.

Teddy: Hah. Blegh, you got me, it's Edward. I hate it too, you can laugh. 

James: I won't. My name is James. We're on a level playing field. My brother's name is Albus which is far cooler than James. I got the shaft.  
James: You have siblings? 

Teddy: Nah, I like your name. Better than Edward. I think my parents just wanted me to be the least cool person in the world?  
Teddy: No siblings, though. Thank God. My parents would've given them shit names as well. Like... Dorothy. Or Richard. 

James: You took that and shoved it up their arse. Made yourself far cooler.  
James: HA! So true.  
James: I have the one brother. And a sister - Lily. 

Teddy: At least your parents dished out some adequate names.  
Teddy: My parents were probably just pissy that they've both got weird ass names so they had to give me the blandest fucking name they could find. 

James: Well, Teddy's cool. I like that nickname.  
James: And I've liked talking to you. Same area code, so I assume we're close. Would it be weird if I invited you for a drink? 

Teddy: It wouldn't be weird, but. I don't think I'd be able to say yes. 

James: Oh. Right.  
James: Yeah, no, it's fine.  
James: Stupid of me for thinking you'd be single. 

Teddy: No. No, no.  
Teddy: I am single.  
Teddy: I just don't think I should say yes. It's nothing personal! Just that I can't. 

James: Can I ask why? I'm not sure my ego can take being rejected twice in the same week. 

Teddy: It's.. kinda complicated.  
Teddy: There was something you said earlier that really threw me off and. There's a chance that, uh.  
Teddy: You may know of me. Like, me behind these texts. 

James: Okay? James: Not speaking your language here. It's honestly fine, though. I'm being stupid. We can be the digital equivalent of pen pals.  
James: No, on second thought, it's going to bother me.  
James: You a student teacher at my uni or something? I'm pretty sure that doesn't fall under the ethics code of professor/student relationships if you're still a student yourself. 

Teddy: Fuck, I'm just going to have to tell you, aren't I?  
Teddy: This is gonna be weird. Kill me. Just kill me. 

James: Remember when you told me I was dramatic? Well...pot, meet kettle. 

Teddy: Ha-ha.  
Teddy: Look. Earlier you asked me if my nickname is inspired by Teddy Lupin. 

James: And?  
James: It is?  
James: Riveting, really. Seriously scandalous. 

Teddy: Oh my God. NO.  
Teddy: I AM Teddy Lupin. Christ. 

James: Oh, come on, mate. If you're going to catfish me, you can do better than that. James: I don't fear rejection THAT bad. Blimey.

Teddy: Cool, then, you don't have to believe me. 

James: Oi. Now you're just being childish. 

Teddy: I'm really not?  
Teddy: Whatever, it's fine if you think I'm making shit up, but, y'know. There it is. Do with that information what you may. 

James: Okay. Then I guess that's that.  
James: Sorry to have wasted your time.

Teddy: Mhm. Sorry to have wasted yours.. 

James: Wasn't a waste. Was having fun until then.  
James: Needed the pick-me-up. You provided it. I'll just delete the last bit from my memory and keep the good shit. 

Teddy: Just putting it out there that had you believe me when I was honest with you about why I was hesitant to meet up and been cool about it, I would have agreed to meet up? 

James: Mate, listen, what are the odds that I mention him then you happen to be him?  
James: I'd be fine with it if you were. More than. He seems like a genuine bloke. I'm not a fucking fanboy. I just think his music is cool. I don't know what you expected to happen?  
James: What turns me off to YOU is the lying. And thinking I'm that stupid. Think about it....I get a wrong number from a guy in a club, then I mention Teddy Lupin to the person I'm texting, who seemed interested...then they happen to BE Teddy Lupin? Come on, mate. Just stop. 

Teddy: I really don't know what you want me to say here. I don't see why I'd have any reason to lie.  
Teddy: I talked about my hair colour and all my specific piercings before I knew you know of me, which.. If I was lying about who I am based on you mentioning me, that wouldn't add up.  
Teddy: And a bunch of other stuff. Private number, because of last year when my old number got leaked.  
Teddy: Or when I said you'd have to pry my cynical tendencies from my cold, dead "adpocalyped" millennial hands?  
Teddy: That was all just me talking about things going on in my life, but sure. Whatever. Fine. Have a nice day. 

James: Okay, I see your points here. But the chances are a million to one here.  
James: Look, I get it, right? My mum is a famous football star on the England team, and my dad is a prominent police commissioner that has handled high profile cases. I'm not new to small fame. Nor am I new to liars. My last name tends to rile people up.  
James: So, believe me when I say this is not some fanboy freak out. I've just been told a lot of lies in my lifetime. Ways to get in with me for my name. When you're so used to people like that it's hard to trust.  
James: I'm not trying to be a git here. But you realize what you're telling me is ridiculously hard to believe? 

Teddy: I guess I see why it'd be difficult to believe, but I don't know what else to tell you to get you to believe me. I know that I'm telling the truth, and it's fine if you think I'm lying.  
Teddy: I've laid all my cards out at this point. There's not much else I can offer up for you to believe that I'm who I say I am. 

James: Alright.  
James: Alright, so if you change your mind about meeting up, I'll give it a go. 

Teddy: Okay, then. Let's meet up.  


James: Okay.  
James: Tavern on Storrow?  
James: 8 o'clock?

Teddy: Sounds like a plan. 

James: See you then.


	2. Confirmation

A pair of Converse stepped forward with trepidation as the young man they belonged to took in a ragged breath. His hair was a mess - his usual trademark trait - and his face twisted with a wary expression. It wasn’t every day that he went on a blind date. And it certainly wasn’t every day that he was meeting someone that claimed to be famous. Well, as famous as a YouTube star was. Teddy Lupin was the object of many people’s affections; his good looks, his soulful lyrics, and his beautiful voice wrapped up in a neat package of swoon-worthy. James Potter was no fanboy, but he had eyes and ears and he appreciated the singer for what he was. And all that was fine and dandy, but there was no possible way that his wrong number fiasco led him to the same person, right? The odds...god, the odds of that…

Hazel eyes (the same ones his father adorned) scanned the pub searching for any flash of blue hair. That was the easiest trait, wasn’t it? On his second scan he looked for anyone looking at him as though they might know him. After all, this could be any Tom, Dick, or Harry that was meeting with him. For the first time the thought crossed his mind that maybe he was walking into a trap. Was his going to end up getting dragged into the alley to be murdered? Blimey.

After falling short on the spotting, he went to the counter and ordered a pint before parking himself on a bar stool. First dates were crap. No matter who they were with. There was always awkward conversation and that whole thing where you had to look away and pretend to engage in something else to avoid looking stupid. Then of course there was the doubt -- do you invite him back to your flat? Do you tell him you want to see him again? Is he just looking for a kiss? A quick fuck? It was torturous. 

But this wasn’t a date. Not really. He had intended it to be, of course. But after the whole “you’re-not”/”I-am” debacle James knew this wasn’t actually a date. 

When the beer was set in front of him, he paid the barkeep then took a big gulp. His taste buds momentarily took over his senses and calmed him as he turned his head, scanning yet again. That’s when the beer caught in his throat and he burst into a coughing fit that attracted the complete attention of those around him. Dirty looks and disgusted noises erupted around him as he tried with all his might to collect himself. 

He was there. All blue-haired and pierced. His tank showed off his tattoos, and his tight black skinny jeans left nothing to the imagination.

Well, Christ on a fucking cracker. He’d been telling the bloody truth. Shame and guilt crashed over him making his heart lurch uncomfortably as his stomach bottomed out. He was a git. He was a complete fucking git. Why had his trust issues betrayed him so deeply? James had blown it with a bloke that he, honestly, admired. The lyrics this man had written spoke to him on a level he couldn’t verbalize. And he had shoved him away like a leper. 

Their eyes met and he was pretty sure he swallowed his tongue. Would Teddy recognize him? Would he piece together what he’d told him about his family. The famous Potters. He was a spitting image of his father, after all. Made it bloody impossible to not be recognized. But he wasn’t a complete egomaniac - maybe - so he raised a hand, the ring on his middle finger catching the light of the pub lamps and momentarily blinding him from Teddy’s face and reaction to said wave. Instead, he blinked hard to clear his vision and suddenly the bloke was there in front of him. Clear as day. Real. Irrevocably real. 

James opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. This was likely the first time he’d ever been rendered speechless. No one ever reprimanded him for being quiet. In fact, when he was in grade school, every single year at parent conferences there were two things James could count on; 1. the teachers would tell his parents that he had a lot of potential and would go far if he just applied himself -- 2. He speaks entirely too much and disrupts the class.

Teddy looked like he was fighting the frowning face he wore, his lips turned down in a scowl and his eyebrows pointed down so low that they stitched together, creating the illusion of a unibrow. 

The bedhead-ridden boy parted his lips again and shoved out the noise from inside him as his fingers simultaneously shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

“That’s what you have to say? Accusing me left and right, and that’s all you can manage?”

“Well, I’ll be bloody damned,” James corrected, knowing his eyes glinted with play as they always did when he was joking or being sarcastic. 

Teddy shook his head. “I see you started without me,” he commented, lifting his chin sharply to indicate the pint in front of James. The brunette looked at it as well, his eyes following a drop of condensation that bled down the side of his glass.

“Needed comfort. Or liquid courage. Something. Anything.” His hand went to the back of his neck and he rubbed it, his eyebrows raising. “Order whatever you’d like. On me. It’s as close to an apology as you’d like. ‘Sorry’ is extremely hard for me to say.”

“You just said it.”

“No. Not in the sense of phonetics, but rather in the sense that it chips away at my soul, because I can’t handle not being right. Seriously, it’s a problem. I can’t be wrong, and I can’t lose. I am an absolute nightmare to play games with. Which is ironic since a majority of my life is a game -- football and such. Showboating when I win; Pouting when I lose. I’m a nightmare, honestly. Insufferable.”

Half of Teddy’s mouth twitched then moved upward in a lopsided smile that he appeared to be biting back.  
“Well?”

“Well?” he echoed back.

“Are you going to take my offer? Have an apology drink?”

There was a slight bout of hesitation then the young man took the seat beside James then flagged down the bartender, asking for a gin and tonic. A flood of relief rushed through James. It would have been easy for the other to turn on the heel of his combat boot and storm out of there. But he hadn’t. And that was something worth holding onto. Pursuing further. 

“Ten minutes,” Teddy said. “I’ll give you ten.”

He didn’t argue. Ten minutes was more than he’d expected. “Was I what you were expecting?” James questioned then paused for a sip of his beer. 

“In what sense?” Teddy asked and an eyebrow quirked at James. For a moment he was distracted by it. It was a light brown, not blue like that hair on his head. And it intrigued him, the way it arched so beautifully. Yet cautious and demanding at the same time. Blimey, he was acting as if an eyebrow was pornographic. James was officially certifiable. 

“The way I described myself?”

Teddy’s head shook. “Glasses. Bedhead. Gauges. That about covers it.” His drink was placed in front of him and James quickly paid for it then turned his attention back to the other. 

“Disappointed?”

He considered. “No. Still irked, though.”

“Understandable. I promise to lay on the charm and sprinkle you with affection in order to win you back and insert myself into your good graces.”

“What if I’m resistant to your charm? What if I repel it?”

“Then you’d be the first, mate.”

“You’re a cocky little thing, aren’t you?” But it wasn’t biting, or even negative. He seemed almost...amused. Or understanding. 

“It’s been rightfully earned. Live a life where you’re constantly praised then come back and tell me it didn’t inflate your head and ego.”

“I’ve been hit or miss. Haters; Lovers; Fans. It’s a roller coaster.”

“Oi, mate, that sounds like a real first world problem right there. ‘I’ve got fans and millions of hits on my videos, but I have the occasional hateful comment from jealous wanna-bes’.” James let out a fake sob then his face split into a shit-eating grin. Despite the circumstances, the boy was rarely serious. It was a barrel of irony that his middle name was literally Sirius. It was as if his parents could sense his personality and were all ‘let’s get ahead of him and make this a right good laugh’. Though, he doubted that. They weren’t all that amused by his antics. Yet, they indulged in him. God knew why. 

“You began believing me five minutes ago, and you’re already making fun of me for it?”

“Ah, welcome to world that is James Potter. There are exits to the front and the rear, remain in your seat and fasten your seatbelt. The turbulence is wicked. Satisfying. You’ll get used to it. That is if you can forgive me.” 

Speaking of, Teddy took a sip of the apology liquid and rolled his eyes. That was a skill James was well-versed in and seeing how easy it was for the musician, he could tell it was something Teddy had possessed for quite some time as well.

“I’ll admit I haven’t seen all your videos. It’s mostly whatever comes up on Facebook. Click the bait, get sucked into an hour of YouTube videos. You know, what the site is meant for. My sister is the real fan. Not that I’m not,-” He was almost rambling now, but he wanted to get this out the way. Wanted Teddy to understand. “-because I am. Your lyrics are something else. I connected to ‘Looking In’ on a personal level. Almost spiritual. This is bloody embarrassing and you can feel free to storm out, but that one might have helped me come out to my parents.” Without his permission, his ear burned red and it felt as though someone had taken a lighter to them. Blimey, he sounded like a liar. This was getting dangerously close to fanboying. “I swear I’m not a fanboy. God, help me.”

But Teddy didn’t look angry. In fact, there was a ghost of a smile on his face and his eyes danced with something. Pride? Happiness? Relief? James couldn’t pinpoint it, but he was sure as hell going to try to get under his skin and learn his tells.

“That’s what I wrote it for,” he explained, head tilting just slightly, letting his blue bangs fall into his face, masking his green eye on one side. “To give people courage. To let them know that whatever it is they’re holding inside them is allowed to be revealed. About letting go and being yourself. That’s-...I mean, I’m glad it did that for you.”

James lifted his beer mug and nodded towards him. “To...all that you just said.” A laugh slipped out then he collected himself to take another gulp. The glass was nothing but foam now and he lifted a hand, getting the barkeep’s attention. With a finger pointing to his empty, he gave him a charming smile and lifted his eyebrows in question. He was answered with a new pint.  
“So. My turn. Know who I am?”

“Harry Potter’s son,” Teddy said and it was a fragment of complete matter-of-fact.

Of course he knew. 

“Harry Potter’s son,” James echoed. 

“He helped catch Harley Knox.” There was that impressed tone to his voice. The one everyone always had.

“That he did.” But it wasn’t exactly beaming with pride. This is what people did, mostly. Gushed about what a hero his father was and what a talented player his mum was. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful for what they both did. Both of them had difficult careers and they managed to thrive on them while simultaneously raising three children. But James always thought maybe he’d get on better without the Potter name. He had once suggested using his mother’s maiden name - Weasley - but his father had been so insulted that James had to play it off as a joke. 

“Your excitement at that is overwhelming. I might have to take a few steps back.”

James smirked at him. “Well, I hear it all the time, mate. The wonderful Harry Potter. The honorable Harry Potter. The hero Harry Potter. Big shoes to fill. Not that I’m exactly trying. I don’t want a career like his. I don’t even want one like my mum, though that’s what everyone expects. I’m in uni on a football scholarship, so...” he trailed off and held up hand, wiggling his fingers like he was showing the end of a magician’s trick. 

“So, what is it that you’d want to do?” Teddy asked. “If you could do anything, no obstacles in your way, what would it be?”

He opened his mouth, but someone else’s voice interrupted.

“Are you Teddy Lupin?” a girl with an American accent asked, her eyes brimming with excitement as her face flushed and her body shrank into itself with complete and utter embarrassment. 

Teddy fixed a smile on his face that James read straight away. It was that smile he wore when people asked him what it was like being Harry’s son. It was the look of someone that appreciated the attention, but felt no need for it .

“I am. What’s your name?”

She giggled and pushed her blonde curls back over her shoulder. “Kaylie. I am a huge fan, oh my god. You have no idea.”

“That’s kind,” Teddy said, still smiling that smile. “Are you visiting from the states?”

“Yes! Oh my god,” she repeated. “Could I - could I maybe get a picture?”

Teddy nodded, his blue hair flopping up and down as he did. Then he got up from his stool and adjusting himself to get his arm around her, and that smile plastered on his face again as she took the selfie. James watched with raised eyebrows and a hard blink. 

“Oh my god, thank you. Thank you so much.” The girl looked like she was holding back a scream then she shoved into a hug without even asking. “My friends are going to flip. Oh my god, thank you,” she repeated before scurrying away, every patch of skin she was showing flushed with excitement and nervousness.

“Oh my god, no way, oh my god,” James said in an American accent, mocking her. “Blimey, mate, I was just invisible. How-” He stared at Teddy then let his laugh out, his head shaking in an incredulous manner. “That’s the first time that’s happened. I swear I was blending in with the wallpaper. Usually in bars I’m adored and drooled over.”

“I’d prefer it be you. I appreciate fans, but just...I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”

“You don’t like being the center of attention in uneasy settings. With people you don’t know.”

Teddy eyed him, something changing in his expression before he nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

“Ambivert. Through and through, you are.” A tongue darted out and wet his lips as he ran a fingers through the condensation on his mug, staring at his chipped black polish. He understood him, at least a little bit. His eyes flickered up to the clock on the wall before moving back to Teddy with a gleeful and sly smirk. “It’s been twenty minutes. What happened to ten?”

Teddy followed his gaze and eyed the clock as if he didn’t trust James knew how to read it. “Seems to have slipped away from me. Or maybe I was being generous.” He got up from his bar stool and slipped his jean jacket back over his thin frame. “It’s been interesting, James Potter.”

James blinked. “Wait, I wasn’t- I was just-”

Teddy’s lips twisted, wickedly, and James knew he was playing a game. Touche, Lupin, touche. 

“Text me?” James called after him as the man with the mop of blue hair headed for the door. 

Silence. And then, “We’ll see.” And he was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic will jump between chapters consisting of solely chat and chapters consisting of long-form writing.


End file.
